JANUARY 21, 2019

"AHHhh... Houston... We've got a Problem..."

NE Vertical Submerged in Frozen Salt Water

Dayem! Yesterday's storm surge, combined with the Blood Moon abnormally high tide this morning, swamped Succotash Salt Marsh at 7 AM, submerging the Northeast vertical underwater. Actually, ice. I knew it would happen by monitoring the local tide charts, and attempted to raise the NE vertical yesterday when temperatures were a balmy 28˚. 

"Huston, We've Got a Problem"

Storm surge swamps vertical.

Dropping temperatures freeze salt water into ice.

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Here's the system impedance and reactance of a pair of submerged saltwater verticals to the Northeast, Southwest and broadside, as measured in the shack this morning. 

Feedpoint Impedance and Reactance of Submerged Phased Verticals

Northeast, Southwest and Broadside

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I am waiting for the tide to drop so I can go out there in 0˚ temperature to attempt to raise the Northeast vertical by several inches. I think I can do this by unguying it and raising the aluminum tube up in the PVC insulator tube, drilling a new hole to set the bottom retaining screw at a new height. Not a problem given the design of the vertical base support scheme. I tried to do it yesterday afternoon, but lost light while raising the more-important remote switching relay box higher above the high tide waterline. She survived without getting swamped. (Editor: actually, this was not the case. As we shall shortly see, the problem was in the switchbox which had been repeatedly subjected to immersion in salt water at previoous high tides). The only problem with doing this is that it is extremely cold outside, and the waders aren't insulated. This morning the air temperature was so cold that The Marsh and Atlantic ocean were steaming like a hot cup of coffee. I shot photos and video which I will edit and post on YouTube later this morning. 

 

Point Judith, Rhode Island

Cold air temperatures caused sea water to steam like hot coffee.

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I have installed the L-match into a tackle box in order to mount it in The Marsh next to the remote switching relay. This will enable me to establish a 1:1 SWR and zero reactance down the feedline heading back to the shack, as well as install a dozen ferrite beads between the switchbox and the L-match. This might quiet-down even further the common-mode noise on the coaxial feedline heading back to the shack. 

L-Match Readied for External Installation

A tacklebox serves as weather-proof enclosure for the L-Match.

Matches 38-Ohm impedance tio 50 Ohms.

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